Last night I was oblivious to the disasters of the world. This morning I had a rude awakening to the tragedy in Haiti. On the cover of my morning newspaper is a picture of a badly bruised child. Truthfully, I am not usually taken back or disturbed by crises. They're usually an everyday occurrence. This was somehow different. Seeing and reading about the disaster and it's impact on our global community have my eyes wide open. What can I do to help? I commend UNICEF, Global Children Fund, etc for acting so quickly to ensure that there is sufficient funding to help the country. I commend Canada for weighing the advantages of aiding our neighbors in their time of need. I commend people for donating and being apart of the rehabilitating process. It is times like this that allows me to witness the destruction of our planet, but it is also times like this that allows me the opportunity to partake in the unity of our nations and its peoples.

          I have acknowledged the fact that donating to dedicated organizations is a definite way to help victims in Haiti. Yet, I feel as though I would not be doing enough. With every word I've written, another victim has died of post trauma, or became Ill because of the injuries. There are homes ruined, lives destroyed. Not one remaining person will easily forget the trauma of this earthquake. Family members are misplaced. 10 000 dead, many more injured. And the children. Those who has lost, those who are lost. Who will be there to reconcile with them. Who will be there to offer the assurance of a better tomorrow?
Waking up this morning was tragic and heart clenching. The tragedy has just begun, the real disaster begins after people overcome the after shock. It begins when families, friends, neighbors, enemies realize that they must become dependent and invest hope in foreign people and organizations. The real tragedy beings once we allow these people to lose faith in the unknown, us Canadians. What do we do then? What do we do when victims begin to panic and doubt everything they've heard or believe about Good Canadians?

          I don't know what we would be able to do or accomplish at that point, but what I do know is that we must strive to prevent that time from coming. Too many people have died already. How much more must suffer before we realize that we are obligated to step in? If not for the fact that there are Canadian families that are affected by this tragedy, then for the fact that these are our neighbours, our fellow human beings. It is in these times that we must cherish the existence of mankind. We must take initiative to secure our placement on this planet. Everywhere on earth, there are suffrage. There are struggles. There are humans. It's time to take action.

          So, what can we do? There are many funds set up to aid these victims. UNICEF, FREE THE CHILDREN, RED CROSS, etc. are all involved in the process of providing funds. You can donate on any of their websites, or contact myself forI have set up a fund raising group for Free the Children foundation. How ever small the sum may be, a child, mother, brother, family needs support. They have a lot to lose right now, do we?